Research suggests that an estimated number of adults in the UK will experience back pain during their life time with attendant widespread social effects which include isolation,withdrawal and damaged relationships. Lower back pain has been identified as the cause of disability worldwide and has been estimated to cost the UK economy over £6 billion. However, 90% of back pain sufferers stop consultation after just 3 months despite 3 in 4 people still suffering pain and disability one year later.
These findings suggest millions of back pain sufferers feel limited help is available and continue to suffer in silence.
Most people's low back pain is often described as ''non specific''. A situation that occurs when the pain does not arise from any medical condition such as,a slipped disc,fracture or even a known disease but rather from the structures of the back and quite a handful of common lifestyle practices have been known to aggravate the problem.
I was reading a book titled ''Lifestyle change for Relief. At last'' by Dr Steven Geanopulos and I found it very helpful in terms of understanding back pain, it also contains detailed information on how to keep back pain at bay by caring for the spine and general health.
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| Lifestyle change for Relief. At last. By Dr Geanopulos |
The book covers key areas of interests relating to the spine, back pain and its management. These include a clear assessment of what chronic back pain means to each person, identifying causes of the chronic back pain,establishing the link between individual lifestyle and chronic pain,the role of nutrition/diet and of course a practical action plan to having a pain-free living.
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| What does Chronic Pain mean to you? Lifestyle Change for Relief. At Last |
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| What are the underlying causes of Chronic Pain Lifestyle Change for Relief . At Last |
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| Health and Lifestyle Choices and Chronic Pain Lifestyle Change for Relief. At Last |
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| Role of Nutrition Lifestyle Change for Relief. At Last |
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| Meditation does help improve health and lifestyle Lifestyle Change for Relief. At Last |
The book has opened my eyes to a lot of things I would otherwise not have paid extra attention to. For instance, I have been able to draw up an activity plan for myself to cover areas of nutrition,physical activity and of course meditation.
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| Action Plan! Planning is key Lifestyle Change for Relief. At Last |
As a mum and in full time work it might not be uncommon to hear me say I am exhausted leaving me no time to engage in other things really.However, I am prepared to make an effort to alter my lifestyle for healthier results as I now know that I do not really need to spend hours to achieve that.I will aim to incorporate 10 mins of exercise 3 days a week into my weekly schedule.Because of the kids I keep an excellent healthy eating plan already but I will also aim to make water my preferred go to beverage and cut back on the fizzies
(so help me God) and I look forward to experimenting with meditation. Of course this will have to happen at a time when the kids are no where in sight, perhaps early in the morning before they get up from bed or when they are taking their afternoon nap or the whole purpose of meditating will be defeated!
I suggest you read the expert tips and advice listed below on how best to manage the your back below. It is very informative and helpful and will come in handy for the management of back pain.
1- De-Stress
To be honest, even I need to be told and constantly reminded about this.
Prolonged stress can worsen pain due to the release of the hormone Cortisol and an increase in muscle tension. If you begin to sense and can establish you are mentally stressed , Addressing the state of mind by meditation or simply, quiet periods of reflection can help. Engaging in activites such as Yoga and Pilates which have been shown to help with stress and anxiety are also positive steps to take.
2- Watch your Weight
Again, this is also something I also need to talk to myself about. I mean these are also very helpful tips that can be imbibed not just to help alleviate back pain for people that experience it but also for an optimal healthy lifestyle.
Maintaining a healthy life style is key.Ongoing poor nutritional choices and carrying excess weight can negatively impact the health on the long term and as such contribute to increased inflammation and lower back pain. Choosing to go for nutritious and well balanced diet, eating small healthy meals and snacks on a regular basis can mean you are less likely to let extreme hunger dictate what you eat thus helping to avoid high calories and sugar options which lead to weight gain.
3-Keep Moving
This is probably the most challenging of all. I mean when the opportunity arises who does not want to remain on the couch all day? Being a couch potato is probably the most relaxing thing ever and as a mum when I do get the opportunity to just raise my feet, I am there for as the longest time possible, sometimes as long as 5 minutes!
Lack of regular movement can contribute to issues with the spine and degeneration of spinal joints. So physical activity in the form of regular exercise is vital to care for the back.Controlled movement of the spine can also help those suffering from long term non specific lower back pain. A new study suggests that a device called KYROBAK which delivers a unique combination of continuous passive motion (CPM) and Oscillation Therapy(OT) significantly reduced pain scores in long term non specific lower back pain sufferers after just 10 minutes of use each day for 3 weeks.
Alright then, off to start my first 10 mins of exercise. Stay Healthy!
***Copy of Lifestyle Change for Relief. At Last. by Dr Steven Geanopulos ,additional tips and advice received from Spink Health along with additional input from myself have been used to develop and write this post***
(so help me God) and I look forward to experimenting with meditation. Of course this will have to happen at a time when the kids are no where in sight, perhaps early in the morning before they get up from bed or when they are taking their afternoon nap or the whole purpose of meditating will be defeated!
I suggest you read the expert tips and advice listed below on how best to manage the your back below. It is very informative and helpful and will come in handy for the management of back pain.
1- De-Stress
To be honest, even I need to be told and constantly reminded about this.
Prolonged stress can worsen pain due to the release of the hormone Cortisol and an increase in muscle tension. If you begin to sense and can establish you are mentally stressed , Addressing the state of mind by meditation or simply, quiet periods of reflection can help. Engaging in activites such as Yoga and Pilates which have been shown to help with stress and anxiety are also positive steps to take.
2- Watch your Weight
Again, this is also something I also need to talk to myself about. I mean these are also very helpful tips that can be imbibed not just to help alleviate back pain for people that experience it but also for an optimal healthy lifestyle.
Maintaining a healthy life style is key.Ongoing poor nutritional choices and carrying excess weight can negatively impact the health on the long term and as such contribute to increased inflammation and lower back pain. Choosing to go for nutritious and well balanced diet, eating small healthy meals and snacks on a regular basis can mean you are less likely to let extreme hunger dictate what you eat thus helping to avoid high calories and sugar options which lead to weight gain.
3-Keep Moving
This is probably the most challenging of all. I mean when the opportunity arises who does not want to remain on the couch all day? Being a couch potato is probably the most relaxing thing ever and as a mum when I do get the opportunity to just raise my feet, I am there for as the longest time possible, sometimes as long as 5 minutes!
Lack of regular movement can contribute to issues with the spine and degeneration of spinal joints. So physical activity in the form of regular exercise is vital to care for the back.Controlled movement of the spine can also help those suffering from long term non specific lower back pain. A new study suggests that a device called KYROBAK which delivers a unique combination of continuous passive motion (CPM) and Oscillation Therapy(OT) significantly reduced pain scores in long term non specific lower back pain sufferers after just 10 minutes of use each day for 3 weeks.
-Source Spink Health/Dr Geanopulos
Alright then, off to start my first 10 mins of exercise. Stay Healthy!
***Copy of Lifestyle Change for Relief. At Last. by Dr Steven Geanopulos ,additional tips and advice received from Spink Health along with additional input from myself have been used to develop and write this post***
